


Splitting Wood

by BestDeadFriendsForever



Series: Splitting Wood Builds Character [1]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, I had this thought while chopping wood so... whatever, M/M, This is dumb but I had to write it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-01 23:56:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13306032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BestDeadFriendsForever/pseuds/BestDeadFriendsForever
Summary: Jack realizes that his perception of Davey was very, VERY wrong





	Splitting Wood

            Jack always got fidgety when it came to going over to Davey’s home. He knew that he was dirty and that his clothes were patched and that his hair never quite sat flat; he just didn’t want Davey’s parents to notice these things. Just in case they didn’t want their son coming around the newsies anymore.

            He made sure to brush up his best vest (he only had two but it was the principle of the thing), and to comb his hair. He even went as far as to scrub his face, as best he could, with some of the snow from outside. He shivered at the cold but he swiped his shirt sleeve over his face to dry it.

            “Hold the fort while I’s gone,” Jack said and punched Race in the arm with a grin.

            “Got a hot date, t’nigh’, Cowboy?” Race asked and wiggled his eyebrows.

            “Might do.” Jack winked at Race and headed outside into the brisk January air. He shuddered and uncuffed his sleeves, shaking his arms so that his sleeves would cover his hands. He walked as quickly as he could through the crowd, keeping his head down to watch for ice and to keep from being spotted by any of the Manhattan newsies that weren’t quite inside yet. He didn’t want to be stopped for two reasons: one, it was cold and two, because he didn’t want to be late.

            He felt the wind cutting through his clothes as he trotted up the stairs. He brought his feet down a little more heavily than normal to help keep them from freezing up. He slipped inside the door and made his way up to the familiar apartment. He stood outside and smoothed his hair down one last time before he knocked. He heard a thump from the other side of the door and then it was being yanked open by Les.

            “Ma! It’s Jack!” Les took off again and Jack grinned when he heard Les hollering. “See, I told ya it was him, Sarah!!” Jack hesitated to come in without anyone having invited him in.

            Ester, Davey’s mother, came into view. “Please come in.” She was wiping her hands on her apron and she gently ushered him in before closing the door. “Where’s your coat, James?” Jack chafed at the name but then he remembered he’d been asked a question.

            “My what?” Jack asked.

            “Your coat. I’ll hang it up with the others,” Ester said with a slight frown as she glanced at Jack and then at the coat rack.

            “I… uh, well I ain’t got a coat, ma’am.” Jack fidgeted.

            “You mean you walked all the way here from the lodge with no coat?” Ester blinked as Jack just nodded sheepishly. “Well, I’ll just fetch one of David’s old coats. You’re smaller than him and they’re too big for Les so…” Ester went to move toward the closet.

            “You ain’t gotta do that, Missus Jacobs. I really don’t need no coat,” Jack said and felt his cheeks getting hot at Davey’s mother fussing over him.

            “Mama, please let Jack be. If you carry on he might not want to come back, and David surely won’t thank you for that.” Sarah stepped in and Jack felt a little better at Davey’s older (even though they were twins she insisted that she was still considered the oldest) sister’s intervention. “Jack, why don’t you go out back and help David?”

            Jack nodded and practically ran out and down the back stairs. He didn’t want to be in the middle of a fussing match between Ester Jacobs and her daughter. Jack opened the back door. It lead to a little square of pavement that most of the time was packed with kids playing but it was too cold for that. So it was nearly instantly that Jack’s eyes caught onto Davey.

            It was also nearly instantly that Jack keeled over from a damn heart attack.

            Jack’s brain could barely comprehend the sight of Davey splitting wood. Sweet, nerdy, thin, Davey actually hefting a fucking axe.

            Jack blinked to try and clear his head but he was having a hard time as he took in Davey in just his shirt and trousers. His brain went blank as the wood cracked in two, but he soon recovered.

            Jack waited until Davey had brought the axe down. “Hey…. Dave.”

            Davey turned and smiled at Jack. “Didn’t realize you were there,” Davey brushed his hands off on his pants and moved to scoop up his coat and hat.

            “Yeah…” Jack trailed off and just eyed Davey before Davey pulled all his layers back on.

            “Have I got somethin’ on my face?” Davey asked with a grin before he swiped a hand over his face.

            “Nah. I mean, nothin’ outta the usual.” Jack stepped into Davey’s personal space and smoothed out Davey’s coat.

            “Well… alright then,” Davey said and brushed his hair back from his eyes. His cheeks were pink from more than just the cold now. Davey doesn’t step back but he looks at the small pile of wood that he had set aside. “I’ve got to get that to Ma.”

            “I’ll help you,” Jack said and scooped up half of the wood. Davey lets out a breath as he stoops and gathers up the other half. They walk upstairs together, laughing about some story of Davey’s about something that happened at school.

            Jack ends up going back to the lodge well fed, with kiss swollen lips and a few new hickeys, and two jackets. One around his shoulders and the other tucked under his arm. He had a spring in his step and a huge grin on his face as he made his way to the fire escape. He scrambled up it and slipped into the window that Race had kept cracked for him.

            He stripped off his outer layers and fell into bed with a huge grin. Race pulled himself up onto Jack’s bunk and his eyes, even in the dark, zeroed in on the hickeys on Jack’s neck.

            “Went well, huh?” Race asked and stretched out beside Jack with a smirk.

            “You know I don’t kiss an’ tell, Racer.” Jack winked at Race and then settled to finally get some sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! There may be a Sprace pt. 2 ;)


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